turn on your tvs to gawk at an imaginary world. it's now big business off screen. so, here's the el t-plt o elemep culture. the. >> so, are you ready for the apocalypse? millions of americans are spending half milliospending $5o

prep far disaster. these tell streugs shows are are seeing unmatched success by crowuating an imaginary apocalypse and the-year-old arounand the world aroundit. why are we interested in a future that looks so bleak? do we just enjoy the show? is there a part office that sees some truth in the fiction? he's keeping an eye on all of your comments coming in. watch me as this cull skhur culk more about the possibility of catastrophe. elizabeth says:

nicholas says: holly says: >> all right. you u are the third host of the show. all your online contributions engages by using the twitter that shall tag. i will try to get your tweets on air. >> . here to breakdown the doom. author of the new book "the invisible hand" in pop culture. chris bake e host of wires original video series "angry nerds" looking angry there. >> owner of practical separates. he's also a consultant for the national tkpwao gee geographic .

>> it's all entertainment. even though it's not meant to represent real life. i have to wonder how it's growth in the industry the reflective of real concerns. government shut downs. the collapse of the health this care system. is there any reality to this? >> oh, absolutely. they reflect from -- and i would say the apocalypse is the grand daddy of all government shut downs. my book that -- and zombies is rampage for the countryside. almost half of this government collapses and especially the federal government. >> people are real life to val dade this. >> and the experiment.

they asked, what would happen with the last government? and they had a really interesting answers. sometimes they suggested with the chaos and it's going against all and had to hold for some time to come back. but a lot of the show suggests the people are resilient and they actually can do pretty well on their own. walking dead is my favorite of all the shows. they think the army will protect them and in the first season they are going for disease control and protection thinking it's best draft and the people have to go out on their own and survive. same thing involves skies. same thing involves a revolution. what's interesting is people

recreate the law of institution and the falling skys is a very interesting thing. edgeducational institutions are. you're an advisor to the show "doomsday prepers" those are some hard core folks. do they represent the estimated $3 to $4 million people who are really getting in to prepping? >> i would say half of the people than are on the show are really serious prep pers and there's the element that want to be on television. they bring the kraeu crazyness in the show. i'm in third season now so i've talked to and had hundreds oh of prepers and half of those on the show representing the preper community. >> describe those who are unfamiliar. are they your tkaeufr folks?

>> they are average americans. they looking in to the future. they might be looking in to some of these shows and running scenarios. their own families or communities or something like that happened. so, they are every day-hardworking people. most of the people i deal with are very concerned about the economy and number two be behind -p that is an electro magnetic pulse whether that's caused by solar fair or cyber attack. >> a community is seeing a merger between pop culture here and real life. he says:

>> chris, i know you're critical here. are we seeing a shift that's seeing reflective in the pop culture? or is this an alarmist if you will? >> there is also one that has a zombie survival work out room now. >> i think these are popular cultures. it's the book of revelations. if you look back to the 197 oh 0s, there were zombie movies.

there's some that deal with how to survive and how to expact the pack in the post apocalypse world. you want to deal with the idea. they are scenarios and now people are actually -- in a world and in -- people are actually planning on how to survive. >> yeah, -- -- i do things that

are -- things that will turn out in the past five years or so. they know when i septembe i sepy book that i start to think more about the end of the world. i think i thought that when i saw the books that maybe i would stop thinking about it but there's so much about the apocalypse and i still think about it all the time. we say it everywhere in terms of the commercialsation of it? >> yeah. i think the subject of pop culture. the hunger games. movies are interesting and books that it's reason that they were coming out in my book.

-- you're going to be surprised about those cashing in on the hunger games. we will get them in the show just after the break. . do anything?

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>> scott, it's easy to say some of this stuff. >> this is serious business and very serious to millions of americans. let's talk about the business from just standard bug out gear to what you need to really survive off the grid as an extremist? >> what stuff are people buying and storing? >> people need water and long

term food storage. we walk through a process. bug out bag supplies. electricity. we are very dependent on the grid and we take the good away. we come up with a plan. not only doing that but we show it how to do it. >> i'm more of an engineer than a businessman. >> it's through wording for me to pass along what i've done to a lot of people. there their people who are much better than i am i'm just enjoying what i do. >> there are some people who are cynical who might say that

you're advisinging on this show. they are talking about this. >> that's a revelation for me. the storms, tsunamis, hurricanes, "katrina," it's a wonderful way to be able to take care of yourself. forget the unknown of the apocalypse. >> it's top selling for $4,000 a one year food storage. we didn't know how many people were buying this. there you go, costco for $4,000.

>> what people are not looking forward to are things like a disaster it makes more sense to be prepared for those events. the good news is it doesn't have to break the bank. for the supplies you need to put your own emergency kit together. anna, you admited that you've changed some of your mind set and have been input by fop culture. how are you prepping? >> i got -- it's not entirely to pop culture. i feel like there's some scientific reasons especially in terms of the climate about what's going to happen in the next few years. for me, i'm not a preper. i don't have items that u you

talk about. it looks bleak and maybe make a good spy asking for questions. there's things that is an anti-sometimes. i do save for retirement. i'm not sure wear going to have -- what am i saving this money for? is this all going to disappear? >> you actually made an angry nerd video about how unrealistic a lot of the fop culture is when it comes to the collapse of society. let's take a listen. >> jus look at the agree skwrepbagregence.the realistic e world would change in nerd air

populateed machines if every electrical alliance were operateable we would turn in to some weird amish cowboys. >> all right. so, what are your may sror issues with pop culture's sper preations? >> well, i think. >> they can buy cowboy hats. someone who lost their cowboy hat. electronics don't work.

that's not cool to look at. >> it would be pretty handy. you've been out there with the apocalypse. >> do you think there's the single biggest influence in terms of what triggered these folks to be more prepared than the average person. >> i can understand that. i be friended a couple cycleists that this just came. i have to say, i watched these movies rand the first to go. i haven't been prepping much myself. i don't think i will last very long. >> it's interesting in such ways it becomes a part of conversation. i have so many people who said i need to get a bicycle or a motorcycle or a skaoert. scootee if something bad happened, we

will never get out of the city. >> in the 1950s, there was a cold war war move where people were building fall out shelters and were practicing drills and schools, dunking cover. i think this is a permanent for human race to worry about survival and also come up that might bring the apocalypse to battle. 50s with the soviet union and now have it's all terrorists but also project in to a mythic form. >> the community picked up on that because history is so repetitive.

>> talk about this in our viewing. >> coming up, we will talk about social media and how it's uniting prep pierce and expandinpreppers and expandingt. are people making it more dire than it actually is. think about that. here are the stories we're following online. . .

if you want to learn more about prep being for the apocalypse. how's that working out for you? >> it's great. we just released it. >> we developed the app. pit has a checklist and a tracker to see how far along you are. it actually has a fun report card that mirrors the doom's day prepers so you can score yourself and see where you are right now and begin prep egging and see how you progress. >> i been looking here. now, we have some of these the aps. prerps diedapps. look at this, this is nice. doom's day preppers.

husband and wife wearing a gas mask. these nice. >> don't look at that one. this one says: >> i think it is far culture

the. >> okay. one of our guest has extra audio coming in. there it goes. watch the sound with all your mics open. scott, i want to go back to you. >>fy went to costco this weekend and tried to do so, i would probably fail. i would not have too much of something. do the preppers orle some of them do it wrong. is there an art to this? >> the more i get to see the more data i gather. i try come up w-p a system on what i need to do for water. you need to store water. you need to have a resent bi-plan and need the to have a way to filter that water. one of the most over looked things is sanitation. and this video is me showing

somebody how to make hot water off the grid. so a lot of my you tube videos will tell you how to get water an find water. three days without it, you will not do well at all. you need your water, you need food. you need shelter and anyway to protect yourself. we can go in to a lot of it in each one of these. i find people might have a lot of guns and ammo but don't have any food. and th most of our food comes fm 1400-miles away on average. >> great timing. you talk about water. we have a tweet:

>> these their things that are normally not done for all american television it is kind ofof extreme taste of the zombie that are able to raise questions that american television generally shied away from. i admire the writeers for taking up serious issues. the whole point is under these things, life does become more meaningful. the zombies represent a routine plotting existence. the the people who face the

zombies are forced to come alive. >> got about 30 seconds left. scott, why don't you wrap this -p up for us. tell us where you think this movement is going. >> well, i hope there's to a point where everyone is prepared to someone level. could you survive a sur a hurrie "sandy." today. there's no reason why someone cannot prepare. i don't care if it's three tkaoeurs a week. i hope people will take this serious. there's a lot of sensationalizing going on. you don't know what the scenario is going the to be. just prepare. >> all right. good advice. >> thanks to all of our guests, paul, chris, scott and anna and until next time. the we will see online. .